Saved from the Sea | Page 8

head. The centre part of the raft was more secure. Halliday, who had, I found, been sleeping for some time, was being held on by Boxall, who undertook to help me in the same way. In a moment after I had got into my new position I was fast asleep; and though the wind had been increasing, and the sea was consequently rougher than before, even the tossing of the raft did not awake me.
We had been running on for some time, when suddenly I was aroused by a violent shock.
"What has happened?" I exclaimed, opening my eyes.
"We have run on a reef!" exclaimed Ben; "and it will be a job for us to get over it."
The mast had been unshipped, and fell over Ben; but being only an oar, it did not hurt him. We found ourselves on the top of a level rock, with the water quite shoal all round us.
"What is to be done now?" asked Halliday.
"We will take our sail to pieces, and resume our shirts and handkerchiefs," said Boxall calmly. "If the tide is at present at its height, the rock will be dry shortly, and we can remain and stretch our legs till we ascertain how far we are off the coast."
"But had we not better drag the raft over to the other side, into deeper water?" asked Ben; "we may then be able to continue our voyage."
"We must first ascertain where the deep water is," answered Boxall.
"I will soon learn that," said Ben, taking the boat-hook in his hand to feel his way. He went forward carefully for some distance. At last he shouted out,--"The reef is higher here than where we struck it, and I am pretty sure I see a sand-bank at no great distance. I will go ahead and let you know."
Halliday was so stiff and worn out that he was unable to move, and neither Boxall nor I liked to leave him. As Ben was strong, and a good swimmer, we felt sure that he could manage by himself.
We now refreshed ourselves with another orange; and I felt that I had still some strength left for any further exertions we might have to make.
After waiting for some time, we thought we heard Ben shouting to us.
"Yes, I am sure that is Ben's voice," said Boxall. "Come, Halliday, are you able to move?"
"I will do my best," was the answer; and getting up, we made our way over the rocks in the direction from which Ben's voice proceeded. After passing over a dry ledge we found the water again deepening; but I took Halliday's hand, and together we waded on, followed by Boxall--who was ready to give either of us assistance, should we require it. The water was growing deeper and deeper, till it almost reached our chests.
"We shall have to swim for it," I said; "but I don't think it will be far." Just then we again heard Ben's voice. "He would not call to us if there was any danger to be encountered," I observed. The next instant we all had to strike out; but we had not gone twenty fathoms when we found our feet touching the bottom, and once more we waded on.
"I see him," I cried out, as my eye caught sight of a figure standing, apparently on dry land. "It may be the coast itself which we have reached--sooner than we expected."
We had still some distance to go, but the water gradually became shallower. Halliday, overcome with fatigue, cried out that he could go no further; but Boxall, overtaking us, made him rest on his shoulder. The water being now no higher than our knees, we advanced more easily; and we soon caught sight of Ben, who had gone some distance over the sand, running to meet us. When at length we reached the dry land, we all three sank down exhausted.
"But have we really reached the coast of Africa?" eagerly asked Boxall of Ben.
"I am sorry to say we have not, sir; we are on a sand-bank ever so far from it, for not a glimpse have I been able to get of the coast--though we may perhaps see whereabouts it is when the sun rises."
This was disappointing intelligence.
"Still, we ought to be thankful that we have a spot of dry land on which to put our feet," said Boxall. "As we have been preserved hitherto, we ought not to despair, or fear that we shall be allowed to perish. At daylight, when we shall ascertain our position better than we can do now, we may be able to judge what we ought to do."
Of course, we all agreed with him, and at once made our way up to the highest part of the bank, which was covered with grass and such plants